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October 22, 2013

Choices

You always have a choice.Good or Bad, Right or Wrong, Dark or Light, Side Salad or Fries.Hardly ever are you in a position where there is only one option, leaving you, essentially, optionless.So it is with a choice I have right now. You see, I've been battling a sinus infection now for a few weeks. It started off mildly enough as seasonal allergies. Allergies give birth to mucus. And as it always does, the allergy-mucus babies got all up in my sinuses and decided to set up shop there. This irritated my sinuses (obviously - can you blame them?), so they fought back with an infection.It's endearing, really.I tried to stave it off, hoping it would go away on it's own. Does it ever, though? Nope. So after two or three days of wondering if it was actually possible for the sinus pressure to blow a hole through my cheek (according to Google it can't. But I'm not convinced), I went to Doctor. Doctor was quite nice, immediately diagnosed sinusitis, and sent me on my way with a prescription for a 10 day antibiotic.I believe this is where things went wrong. Because we all know the Z-Pack busts the guts out of a sinus infection. Z-Pack comes on strong and shows infections who's the boss (spoiler alert: it ain't Tony Danza). Instead, I was given Augmentin. Which is like the Milton of Antibiotics.

Clearly, not effective.I went through my 10 days, with a good amount of pain and pressure. I thought my teeth were going to pop out at points (spoiler alert: they didn't). But I completed my medicine regimen, and was definitely feeling on the mend. Until a day or two after finishing the antibiotics. It was then that I was suddenly assaulted by one of the worst pains I've ever experienced in my sinuses, which I can only equate to the pain one might feel if hot sauce was poured into ones nasal cavity. I felt the pain from my nostril, along my cheek and to my ear. Visions of exploding eardrums danced in my head.After a day of this, I went back to Doctor. And since Doctor was not in, I saw Doctor 2. Doctor 2 lacked bedside manner, and thought a good "joke" would be to say that the next step would be surgery if I didn't try the less-invasive methods first.Seriously?I was advised to take 4 more days of Milton Antibiotics, use hot compresses and cleanse with a Neti Pot.Now, back in the day, I was an avid fan of the Neti Pot. I used it often, and found it to be an effective means of keeping my sinuses clear. Until the day I found out that a few people who used a Neti Pot died from getting a brain eating parasitic amoeba. Granted, they were using unfiltered water and all. But seriously? If there was even a chance that I could accidentally wash some little creature that eats grey matter up into my brain?Thanks. But no thanks.Yet, here I stand, in tears from the pain and throbbing. I worry that my eardrum might actually explode. So I am faced with My Choices:

Exploding Eardrum.

Brain Eating Amoeba.

It's such a close call. Really.I'll let you know what I decide.

And friends? If you are enjoying dinner out? Ditch the Side Salad.Always opt for the Fries.